Departmental Internet

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Attorney-General if he will  (a) publish a business plan for the Law Officers' Departments and  (b) make that plan available on the No. 10 Downing Street Transparency microsite.

Edward Garnier: The information requested is as follows.
	 (a) Departmental business plans as launched on 8 November 2010 are designed to be high level documents which provide key milestones for the fundamental structural reforms being undertaken in a Department, as set out in the coalition programme for government. Where there are currently no plans to undertake major structural reforms, such as for the Law Officer's Departments, no formal requirements have been made to create a business plan.
	Arrangements for annual reporting to Parliament on departmental performance are still under consideration by Ministers. Further information will be provided in due course.
	The Law Officers' Departments have internal business plans and consideration is being given to the most appropriate form for publication.
	 (b) Where the Law Officers' Departments are required to comply with the Prime Minister's letter of 29 May 2010 to Cabinet Ministers with regard to transparency, the information is made available for all members of the public to see on the departmental website(s). Information has also been provided to Cabinet Office for central publication.

Railways: Bexley

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the number of people in  (a) Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency and  (b) the London borough of Bexley who have a 16 to 25 rail card.

Theresa Villiers: The Department for Transport does not hold information about the number of people who hold 16-25 railcards and has made no estimation of the numbers of holders in either the Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency or the London borough of Bexley.

Mass Media

Helen Jones: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, what meetings members of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) staff have had with representatives of press and media organisations since IPSA's inception; on what date each such meeting was held; where each such meeting was held; and what the names were of those who attended each such meeting.

Charles Walker: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. I have asked IPSA to reply.
	Letter from Andrew McDonald
	As Interim Chief Executive of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what meetings members of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) staff have held with representatives of press and media organisations since IPSA's inception; on what date each such meeting was held; where each such meeting was held; and what the names were of those who attended each such meeting.
	In the course of their work, IPSA staff have meetings and conversations with a wide range of people, including from time to time with members of press and media organisations. Disclosure of details of such meetings would, in my view, inhibit free and frank discussions.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he plans to reply to the letter of 9 September 2010 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton on Miss G Persse, transferred from the Department of Work and Pensions.

Tim Loughton: My noble Friend Lord Hill of Oareford replied in a letter dated 24 October 2010.

Schools: Finance

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools have been supported by youth Sports Trust funding in each of the last three years.

Tim Loughton: holding answer 28 October 2010
	The Youth Sport Trust does not fund schools directly. The Department has paid grant to the network of school sport partnerships since 2003. All primary, secondary and special schools have been part of this network since 2006 and have benefited from this support. While the network helped schools to increase participation rates in the areas targeted by the previous Government, the fact remains that the proportion of pupils playing competitive sport regularly has remained disappointingly low. Only around two in every five pupils play competitive sport regularly within their own school, and only one in five plays regularly against others schools. In removing the many PE and sport targets and requirements placed on schools by the previous Government, we are freeing them to take decisions about the competitive sport that they offer in the best interests of the pupils and parents they serve.

Arts: Finance

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of the funding provided by each local authority for arts and cultural organisations and activities in the last five years.

Edward Vaizey: This Department does not collate each local authority's funding for arts and cultural authority. Annual data of overall local authority expenditure on cultural provision, including arts development and support, is published by the Department for Communities and Local Government. Local Government Financial Statistics England publications are available for the last five years at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/localgovernment/localregional/localgovernmentfinance/statistics/

Youth Sports: Finance

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what discussions he had with the Secretary of State for Education on funding for youth sports trust before the announcement of the outcomes of the Comprehensive Spending Review.

Jeremy Hunt: I regularly meet with the Secretary of State for Education to discuss cross-departmental issues.

Wind Power: Planning Permission

Stephen Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what mechanisms are in place to ensure that local communities are consulted on the location of land-based wind turbines.

Charles Hendry: The relevant local planning authority "Statement of Community Involvement" will set out the method, scope and timing for consulting communities on applications for significant development, including onshore wind farms up to 50 megawatts installed capacity. Pre-application consultation is good practice. All planning applications have to be advertised for 21 days during which period representations can be made to the local planning authority. However we are currently considering how our planning reforms can best improve the ways in which communities are engaged in planning matters.
	Applications for consent for wind farm developments made under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989 are required to be advertised in the national and local press and in the London Gazette. A copy of the application, with a plan showing the land to which it relates, together with a copy of the Environmental Statement, explaining the company's proposals in more detail and presenting an analysis of the environmental implications, and a non-technical summary are made available for inspection at locations in the vicinity of the development.
	Finally under the Planning Act 2008, applications for consenting wind farms of over 50 megawatts installed capacity, local communities are consulted at three different points in the process: during the public consultation on National Policy Statements (NPS); during the pre-examination consultation (when the developer consults the local community on its proposals) and during the examination period.

Community Development: Finance

David Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what arrangements are in place to ensure that payments for schemes under Community Builders programme are available where final invoices are not presented by the end of the financial year; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Stunell: All Government Department budgets are set for each financial year and money must be spent by the year end to comply with government accounting requirements. In the past the overall financial position of the Department meant that we were able to offer some flexibility beyond the end of the financial year on disbursement timescales for Communitybuilders. The Government's priority must be to reduce the deficit, and this flexibility is therefore not available at present for new commitments. We are working closely with our delivery partner to consider ways of maximising the fund's potential.

Dental Services

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions he has had on the commissioning of (a) salaried primary care dental services and  (b) secondary dental care.

Anne Milton: Ministers and departmental officials have had wide-ranging discussions including meetings, at which the commissioning of these services was discussed, with the British Dental Association and representatives of the dental schools, dental hospitals and the salaried dental services.

Thromboembolism: Health Services

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 1 November 2010,  Official Report, column 658W, on thromboembolism, what estimate he made of the cost to the public purse of treating patients included in the count of finished consultant episodes with a primary or secondary diagnosis of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism in each year between 2004-05 and 2008-09.

Anne Milton: The Department does not collect costs by diagnosis. It collects the costs to national health service providers of providing standard groupings of clinically similar treatments, known as health care resource groups (HRGs), the precise grouping of which may depend on the presence of other diagnosis and intervention codes and patient characteristics in the episode of care.
	We are aware that venous thromboembolism events are generally under-reported and pulmonary embolism is significantly under diagnosed before death. However, the following table shows the costs reported in HRGs for deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolus by NHS providers in each year between 2004-05 and 2008-09.
	
		
			  Costs to the NHS of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolus 2004-05 to 2008-09 
			  £ million 
			  HRG description  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Deep vein thrombosis 25.4 26.6 25.7 26.0 27.9 
			 Pulmonary embolus 24.7 27.8 35.2 38.3 .46.7 
			  Notes: 1. Figures calculated from schedule 4 (NHS Trusts and PCTs combined) of the national schedules of reference costs for the financial years 2004-05 to 2008-09 published at: www.dh.gov.uk/nhscosting 2. 2004-04 and 2005-06 costs were collected on health care resource group version 3.5 (HRG3.5) and include: (a) D10 Pulmonary Embolis with complications and comorbidities (b) D11 Pulmonary Embolis without complications and comorbidities (c) E20 Deep Vein Thrombosis >69 or with complications and comorbidities (d) E21 Deep Vein Thrombosis <70 without complications and comorbidities 3. 2006-07 to 2008-09 costs were collected on health care resource group 4 (HRG4) and include: (a) DZ09A Pulmonary Embolus with major complications and comorbidities (b) DZ09B Pulmonary Embolus with complications and comorbidities (c) DZ09C Pulmonary Embolus without complications and comorbidities (d) EB11Z Deep Vein Thrombosis

Mobile Phones: Health Hazards

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether his Department issues guidance on the safety of  (a) handheld mobile telephones and  (b) mobile telephone masts in respect of radiation.

Edward Vaizey: Advice on the availability of specific absorption rates (SAR) values from mobile phones was given in the May 2000 report from the Independent Expert Group on Mobile Phones (Stewart Report) and an update was given in the Mobile Phones and Health 2004 Report from the National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB), now merged into the Health protection Agency. In addition, the UK's four Mobile Network Operators, namely Everything Everywhere (Orange, T-Mobile), 3UK, O2 and Vodafone, have resources within their customer service departments to provide information and advice to users regarding SAR values on handsets. Information about SAR values is available on manufacturers' websites and also on the MMF website
	www.mmfai.org
	In 2001, International guidelines were adapted for mobile telephones (RF) technologies by industry, government and the then NRPB's Radiation Protection Division (HPA-RPD). Mobile phones and masts are designed to comply with the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP). The series of more than 500 measurements made by the regulator Ofcom (and its predecessor the Radiocommunications Agency) has consistently shown the public exposure around base stations to be well below the guideline levels. This measurement service is available free of charge on the request to Ofcom and the measurements to date are posted on its website
	www.ofcom.org.uk

UK Trade and Investment

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of UK Trade and Investment in the latest period for which figures are available; and how much of that cost was recovered in fees in that period.

Mark Prisk: UK Trade and Investment's 2009-10 Resource Accounts (which was published on 22 July reference No. HC 3) reports total resource expenditure of £356.4 million and recoverable income of £6.0 million, of which £4.7 million relates to fees and charges.

Institute for Fiscal Studies

Robert Halfon: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities how much the Government Equalities Office spent on services provided by the Institute for Fiscal Studies in each year since its creation.

Lynne Featherstone: The Government Equalities Office (GEO) was created on 12 October 2007. GEO spent £1,600 on services provided by the Institute of Fiscal Studies in 2009 and £60 in 2010.

Access to Work Programme

Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when changes to be proposed to the Access to Work scheme were agreed; and what consultation his Department undertook with  (a) users,  (b) businesses and (c) disability groups on those proposed changes.

Maria Miller: Changes to the Access to Work programme made by the previous Government are designed to improve take-up among under-represented groups, including people working for small employers, people with mental health conditions and people with learning difficulties. In February 2010 Access to Work officials held a series of focus groups across the country with a number of key external stakeholders, including disability charities, business groups and ethnic minority groups with regard to plans to refocus the Access to Work programme. All parties in attendance valued the service that Access to Work provides but agreed that the programme should be more flexible, and more available to those who are in need of most help and that larger employers could contribute more. These changes were announced in the White Paper 'Building Britain's Recovery' published in December 2009.
	The operation of Access to Work is kept under regular review to ensure that the programme is delivered effectively. Access to Work guidance has for many years specified that funding cannot be provided for standard equipment, that an employer would need to provide for any employee to do their job. We have in the past allowed Access to Work advisers to form local judgments about what should be regarded as standard equipment and this has led to inconsistent decisions. A revised list of equipment has therefore been included in the Access to Work guidance in order to assist advisers in making operational decisions on each case under consideration for funding and ensure consistency across the country. This list will be updated from time to time to ensure it reflects latest developments. The list of examples provided is not exhaustive and advisers have the discretion to identify other types of equipment as standard for a particular industry or occupation.
	The coalition agreement set out our commitment to Access to Work, including plans to reform the programme so disabled people can apply for jobs with funding already secured for any adaptations and equipment they will need and I expect to make an announcement about this shortly.

Access to Work Programme

Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what equipment his Department  (a) classifies as standard provision and  (b) expects employers to fund under the Access to Work scheme since 1 October 2010.

Maria Miller: Access to Work guidance has for many years specified that funding cannot be provided for standard equipment, that an employer would need to provide for any employee to fulfil their legal obligations. We have in the past allowed Access to Work advisers to form local judgments about what should be regarded as standard equipment and this has led to inconsistent decisions. A revised list of equipment has therefore been included in the Access to Work guidance in order to assist advisers in making operational decisions on each case under consideration for funding and ensure consistency across the country. This list will be updated from time to time to ensure it reflects latest developments. The list of examples provided is not exhaustive and advisers have the discretion to identify other types of equipment as standard for a particular industry or occupation.

Social Security Benefits: Disability

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many disabled people will no longer receive contributory employment and support allowance (ESA) annually as a result of his decision to limit to one year the period for which contributory ESA may be paid.

Maria Miller: The requested information will be available on 29 November 2010 alongside the autumn statement and will be deposited in the Library.
	Claimants in the work related activity group who stop receiving contributory employment and support allowance after 12 months will be able to claim income-related employment and support allowance if eligible. we estimate that 60% will be able to claim some income-related employment and support allowance once their contributory entitlement has ended. There will always be a safety net to support those who have no means of supporting themselves.

Asylum: Deportation

David Nuttall: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many failed asylum seekers there were in  (a) 2008,  (b) 2009 and  (c) 2010; and how many have subsequently been deported.

Damian Green: We have interpreted the first question to mean the number of asylum applications in 2008, 2009 and 2010 who were refused asylum, humanitarian protection or discretionary leave.
	We have interpreted the second question to mean the number of asylum claimants in 2008, 2009 and 2010 that was subsequently removed.
	Published data are not available for 2010. However figures for 2008 and 2009 can be found on the Control of Immigration: United Kingdom 2009 which is available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics Directorate web site at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration-asylum-stats.html

Visas

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) visas or equivalent were issued in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Damian Green: holding answer 17 November 2010
	Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) visas were introduced on 30 June 2008 and replaced the former Business Person visas. The number of such visas issued in each of the five years 2005 to 2010 (January-June) is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Entrepreneur/Business visas issued 
			Number 
			 2005 42 
			 2006 31 
			 2007 36 
			 2008 92 
			 2009 164 
			 2010 (January to June) 106

Working Tax Credit

Kate Green: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of tax credit claimants were sent renewal reminder notices in  (a) 2009 and  (b) 2010.

David Gauke: Around 47% of tax credits claimants who were required to make an annual declaration for 2008-09 and renew their claim for 2009-10 were sent a reminder letter. Reminder letters were not issued in 2010 although tax credits customers who are required to make a declaration and renew their claims by the second specified date of 31 January 2011 and have not already done so, will be sent reminders in January 2011.

BBC

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent meetings  (a) officials and  (b) special advisers in his Department have had with the Director-General of the BBC; and whether pensions were discussed at those meetings.

Jeremy Browne: My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs met the Director-General of the British Broadcasting Corporation on 20 October 2010. Officials and special advisers were also present.
	The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the transfer of the funding of the BBC World Service to the licence fee in 2014-15.
	There have been no separate meetings by officials or special advisers with the Director-General of the British Broadcasting Corporation.

Departmental Pay

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much was paid to officials in his Department and its non-departmental public bodies in bonuses and other payments in addition to salary in each year since 1997; how many officials received such payments; and what the monetary value was of the largest 20 payments made in each such year.

Alistair Burt: For details of payments made in addition to salary I refer my hon. Friend to my answer of 18 November 2010,  Official Report, columns 903-04W.
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has two types of non consolidated, variable performance pay schemes, both of which are focussed on rewarding high levels of performance. These types of payment are an integral element of the reward package for staff, have to be re-earned each year and do not add to future pay bill costs (eg pensions).
	The FCO paid a total of £7,457,502 in non-consolidated, variable, performance related pay in 2009-10. This represents 2.6% of the total pay bill for UK based staff. 5,604 staff received a payment. The largest 20 payments were £15,000 (x 1 individual), £14,000 (x 3), £13,000 (x 3), £12,500 (x 25).
	
		
			   Total paid (£)  Recipients 
			 2008-09 7,597,836 4,712 
			 2007-08 6,748,152 4,871 
			 2006-07 6,553,288 6,076 
			 2005-06 5,989,100 5,097 
			 2004-05 5,765,800 5,094 
			 2003-04 5,567,100 - 
			 2002-03 4,027,100 5,085 
			 2001-02 2,771,800 4,753 
		
	
	Details of amounts and number of recipients prior to 2001-02, and the number of recipients in 2003-04 can be obtained only at disproportionate cost as could a breakdown of the 20 largest payments in the years 2001-02 to 2008-09.
	The information for non-departmental public bodies is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Reviews

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what departmental policy reviews his Department has undertaken since 6 May 2010; on what date each such review  (a) was announced and  (b) is expected to publish its findings; what estimate he has made of the cost of each such review; who has been appointed to lead each such review; to what remuneration each review leader is entitled; how many (i) full-time equivalent civil servants and (ii) seconded staff are working on each such review; from which organisations such staff have been seconded; and how much on average such seconded staff will be paid for their work on the review.

Alistair Burt: Since 6 May 2010, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has been closely engaged in the cross-Government Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) which will have an important impact on many areas of FCO activity. FCO work in support of the SDSR has taken place within existing resources. In addition to its contribution to this major exercise, the FCO has also conducted or is in the process of conducting the following reviews of specific policies for which it is responsible:
	 a. Review of Government Policy on Private Military and Security Companies (PMSCs)
	After an internal review by Ministers of 16 September announcing the Government's policy on PMSCs. The Minister responsible, the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Mr Bellingham), undertook this work as part of his normal duties. The review was conducted by three FCO staff already working on PMSC policy, and no additional resource was used to conduct it.
	 b. Review of Overseas Territories Policy
	This is a review occasioned by the change of government, and appears in the FCO's Business Plan that was published on 8 November 2010 with a deadline for completion of July 2011. It is being carried out by five staff in the Overseas Territories Directorate in the FCO, and has so far incurred no additional costs.
	 c. Review of Policy towards the Commonwealth
	The FCO has undertaken this review internally, and completed it in August 2010. The Government expects to make an announcement to Parliament in the near future on the outcome. The review was conducted by three FCO staff already working on Commonwealth policy, and no additional resource was used to conduct it.

Iran: Human Rights

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations at UN level to establish a monitoring mechanism to report on human rights in Iran to the  (a) General Assembly and  (b) Human Rights Commission.

Alistair Burt: I refer the hon. Member to the response given by my hon. Friend the Minister of State (Mr Browne) on 16 November 2010,  Official Report, column 662W.